


Your Boss' Boss' Boss

by drunkentaiji



Category: Grey's Anatomy, Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Adult Content, Boss/Employee Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Foreplay, Influenza, Lust, Non-Explicit Sex, One Shot, Passion, Ridiculous, Romance, Suggestive Themes, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 12:56:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18965680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drunkentaiji/pseuds/drunkentaiji
Summary: In which Chief Ripley is too proud to admit that he's not that invincible afterall. And he realises that it isn't so difficult to accept help...





	Your Boss' Boss' Boss

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing much, just super bored so I wrote a random fic last night based on prompts I came across on youtube, tumblr etc. This is based off S2 Ep 12 where Vic "sneezes into Chief Ripley's face" and they make up after their first fight...and I expanded the storyline to the next morning after (grins cheekily).  
> One shot organised into 6 parts :  
> I. S19 S2 Ep12 : VICLEY MAKES UP AFTER A FIGHT  
> II. MY HOT BOYFRIEND  
> III. HOMEGROUND ADVANTAGE  
> IV. VENGEANCE BACKFIRED!  
> V. THE SPIRIT IS STRONG BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK  
> VI. BIG BOSS THEORY [M]
> 
> I'm more active on asianfanfics but I occasionally visit Ao3. . First time posting a S19 fic.  
> I'm Asian and Engish isn't my first language. So be kind to me okay?  
> Enjoy! :>

**I. S19 S2 Ep12 : VICLEY MAKES UP AFTER A FIGHT**

 

Hughes crept under the sheets and pulled another tissue from the box, sneezing into it.

"Aaaaaat-choo!" She splashed saliva and snorted painfully, like a giant sandpaper stick had been shoved through her nostril. It was so difficult to breathe with that stuff stuck in her nose and throat, let alone talk. So she lay down again, hoping to sleep it off, reluctantly, because she was quite done with the night, or rather, with _Ripley_.

But even _that_ , was difficult. Her head throbbed like nails hammering into it from one side and her throat felt like molten lava had been poured into it. Her body radiated heat and joints ached like crazy. Yet, her anger masked all that discomfort. She was still mad at Ripley.

Very, very much so.

Yes. Ripley.

And she couldn't take her mind off him.

Her boss' boss' boss. Her dashingly handsome , powerful, forty-something boss' boss' boss boyfriend (albeit youngish though 15 years her senior) with whom she shared the same traits of being quirky, "crazy risk-taking, fire-chasing, out-of-their mind weirdos". 

There was another tickle in the insides of her nose and she sneezed again. This time louder and bigger.

Concerned by what he heard, Ripley walked into the room and placed a mug of hot tea by the night stand. "Let me know if there's anything else you need, okay?" He asked in his usual soft and leathery voice, the kind of voice he spoke in when he's off work. His eyes were kind and soft. Even _fatherly_ from certain angles. But he maintained a professional distance so that he wouldn't be deemed as taking advantage of her -- although he really wanted to dive into her, if she weren't sick.

He slowly turned to leave. There was nothing he wanted more than letting his _subordinates' subordinates' subordinate_ rest and nothing else but... _rest_.

"Actually there is," she spoke suddenly in a nasal voice reminding one of her _condition_.

Lucas turned back and gazed at Vic, thinking that his girlfriend, lover, companion, or _whatever_ (he couldn't decide _yet_ ), wanted something else to _drink_ or _eat_. But it was _something else._

"We had our _first_ fight," she rested on her elbow and had to get something off her chest,"but we didn't finish it."

"Well, we _don't_ have to finish it now," Lucas gazed tenderly at Vic.

"If an argument is all it takes to….," Vic didn't get to finish her sentence.

"You're sick, you should just rest….yo--," it was Lucas' turn to get his sentence cut off midway. It is his _this_ very _maturity_  and _patience_ he emanated which Vic found herself hopelessly attracted to.

"But I still _have_ your shirt!" She maintained a belligerent tone, like she was ready to fight. 

"My _shirt_?" He asked, puzzled, wondering what a shirt's got to do with Vic's not feeling well. 

"You left your _stupid_ shirt here, okay and I don't want to give it back but I swear to God I will if we can't straight a few things out….," the volume of Vic's voice matched her fury level as she sat up.

"Get _what_ thing straight?" Lucas sat on the edge of the bed sinking it down, facing Vic. His voice was soft and even. Unfazed. No wonder they call him a _Conversational Jedi._

"I just think of the _secrets_ and I'm tired of hiding but we have to, unless we don't. I don't know…," she spoke in between nasal snorts,"but if we can't even fight and make up then there's no point in you being nice to me or bringing me tea because we won't survive in which case you can just take your nice smelling shirt and go!" Vic waved across the room and glanced at the _nice smelling shirt,_ not looking directly into Lucas' ocean blue eyes for fear that she might change her mind about the mean things she just said.

Lucas held his gaze, unflinching and replied."I don’t want my shirt back no matter sick or tired or any other way you feel. I don't want to go." Still holding his gaze, Vic held her breath, paralyzed by Lucas' dreamy blue eyes.  Until he kicked his shoes off. Her gaze shifted to the ground at his shoes. She gasped silently watching Lucas remove the _other_ shoe and started to get onto her bed, and curled himself under the sheets. He extended his arms and wrapped them around her, pulling her against his chest so that she was forced to snuggle up against his broad, lean chest. He rubbed her back soothingly with kind his hands and stared down at her.

 "If you get sick I could be contagious," she said, still sulking and refusing to surrender completely to Lucas.

 "You _are_  (contagious)." That was all Lucas said, gazing adoringly at his sick lover and kissing her temple repeatedly."Victoria Hughes, I love you," he breathed.

 "Dammit, I love you too," she mumbled in her feverish, delirious state through half-lidded eyes. Stunned by what she had just said she opened her eyes and looked up at her beau's disgustingly handsome face."Did I just say i--," she gasped in a voice tinged with defiance but found her sentence cut-off before she got to the end of it.

"Yes, you _did,_ " he answered cheekily barely above whispers. This time, her facial muscles were much softer and she stared back at him, smiling."I love you," he repeated, smiling down at her until a curve formed at the corner of her mouth. He smirked first, then the most sincere and loving smile split his face, softening her facial muscles completely by now, breaking all barriers to their love.

"Ya, okaaaay," she conceded defeat,"it's late. Sleep." She was still smiling and this time, Lucas knew that he had extinguished his girlfriend's "fire" completely.

"I'm wide awake," he smirked, stubbornly refusing to rest. And then that signature Lucas- _ian_ smirk again, dropping Vic's guard completely. She smiled wider at him, gazing tenderly at him. This time, it wasn't lewd. No lust. Just chaste touches and nuances.

"Let's go to sleep," she shot one last smile at him and said in maternal tone. Like a mother coaxing a child to sleep. She snuggled into the crook of his neck and curled her fingers against his white uniform.

Lucas was more tired than he wanted to admit -- especially to his sick girlfriend -- his plan was to snake his way out of Vic's grasp after she had fallen asleep and change _out_ of his uniform but he was too exhausted beyond explanation. His joints felt oddly achy that night and he couldn't move as he planned to. Sleep took over him sooner than he expected and he slept in his uniform.

 

**II. MY _HOT_ BOYFRIEND**

 

_Ten hours later…._

The chirping of birds, the aroma of breakfast coffee and the warmth of the morning sun indicated that it was the next morning. Vic had no idea how much she slept but she felt much better, surprisingly rested and the _relative_ heat of whatever stuck against her gave her a clue that she was much cooler and her fever had broken by then.

She squinted in response to the light against her eyelids as she slowly opened her eyes and realised It was still early in the morning, but she felt incredibly warm. Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she let out a loud yawn,"Awww…owahhhh!" and tried to reach out to stretch her arms overhead only to find her movement restricted by something warm and heavy _on_ her.

As she gained awareness of her surrounding, she realised that she had been pinned under something heavy and huge, not necessarily _fat_. She had been pinned down by Chief Ripley's six feet two body. She glanced to the side and noticed that there was a basin of water and a wet towel on her pillow, lodged between the top of her head and the bed-head.

She'd just bought that basin from K-mart at a sale and had stored it away in her wall cabinet. The price tag was still stuck at the side and she had never used it. She wondered how the heck would Lucas manage to find it, unless he had been wandering all over her apartment.

Moving away, she managed to catch her breath and she realised that she wasn't wearing anything on her except her panty. Lucas must've removed her clothes and stayed up all night to towel her, bringing the temperature down. A warmth shot through her heart and she held gaze, the corners of her lips curved into a smile, staring silly at her handsome boyfriend.

"Oh sweet!" Vic gushed. 

She tried to get up but found the heavy limbs of Lucas Ripley tangled over her arm and the other one right in between her legs down _there._ She threw her gaze to the table clock on the night stand over across the side where Ripley slept and gasped in shock.

"Oh my God! Damn I'm late for work!"  She cussed under her breath but her attention went to a groan from the one on top of her. She wriggled her outer arm free and accidentally brushed her cool forearm against his forehead, and was shocked at how hot it felt.

"Luke, you’re _hot_!" Vic exclaimed. Lucas' eyelids fluttered, then slowly let his heavy eyelids give way to gravity again until it shut completely.

"Of….c-course I'm _hot_ , Baby!" Lucas half-groaned-half-chuckled weakly through half-lidded eyes and he let out a few sniffles,"….I'm the…the Chief of Seattle Fire Department. Y-ou d-don't have to flatter me," he muttered again like a drunkard who wasn't aware of what he was saying.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that _vain_ statement. _So he thinks he's God's Gift to Women._  But she was relieved that at least he wasn't dead. She brought her hand to his cheek and then neck, upset by how hot it felt to the touch."Oh gosh! Fever -- very high!" But realised that she was talking to a dead log.

"Huh? Ww-hat?" He groaned.

"I said....you _have_ a fever!" She snapped at him but realise that _he_ wasn't hearing anything or was _responsive_ at all (to _help_ ).

"What's _that_?" Ripley mumbled dumbly, dazed.

"I've got to get you to the doctors!" Vic pulled the sheets off and slid her arm under Ripley's back attempting to lift him off it.

He flinched upon the contact and pushed her hand away, mumbling some unintelligible complaints and then rolled his face against the pillow lazily, getting back to sleep again. Vic sighed in desperation.

It was official that Lucas Ripley, Chief of Seattle Fire Department, had a fever....a high fever. His skin was cold and clammy with goose bumps confirming a _high_ fever.  A dry, wheezy cough gave no reasonable doubt about it. And then he rolled onto his stomach trapping Vic's arm under him and broke into a coughing fit against the pillow, splattering saliva into it. That symptom _double_ confirmed it.

"Good God....nice! Well done....Lucas," she sighed and like a panicky teen, Vic seemed to have lost her EMR skills overnight. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She freed the lower half of her body and elbowed her way carefully out of the _manly_ rubble under which she was pinned and jumped onto the floor.  "High fever….high fever….what do I do!" She paced up and down the room pounding her fist against her palm, turning incredibly antsy."What do I do? What do I do? Oh no!"

 _Why do I never panic in the face of a threatening life-and-death situation at the scene of fire amidst collapsing buildings? And why do I panic now with my boyfriend in my bed, in the comfort of home. Ridiculous!_ But she tries to justify: _Dating a man who outranks me many times is one thing, dating one who's from the same department is another, dating a drop-dead gorgeous man with the cutest smirk who happens to be my boss' boss' boss and he's lying on my bed dying is....not something a mere mortal can handle at the moment._

She nodded at her own justification for her lacklustre performance, then did nothing except stand by his bedside staring at him frown and gasping his sighs. His eyelids fluttered. Eyeballs rolling from under and slowly he opened his eyes. Blue eyes stared at her. And the Chief started to reprimand her for neglect and fault.

"Hughes, I really don't know how you got through the Station's tests! Just think about it -- if this were a medical emergency, I would have been dead!" 

"Chief, I was the top stu--," Vic tried to remind him of her stellar performance in class.

"I don't care how good your grades were in class or that you were top of the class. This is a real life emergency. You screw your drill like that now, you're out this very second!" Ripley struggled to sit up, grimacing as he held his exploding head and pointed to the door.

"B-but C-hief….uhm, I won't repeat this the next time." 

"There is no next time!" 

"Victoria Hughes! You're out of here."

"But this is my house!"

 "I meant.....you do _NOT_ need to show up again at the station tomorrow!"

Vic sensed something amiss. Neither of them would be at the station tomorrow. Both of them would be on sick leave tomorrow. Before she could clarify, a horrible sounding barking cough interrupted the Chief, as he hunched over and covered his mouth.

 "No! You can't j-just…give me another chance! I'll prove myself to you...t-that I'm capable of t-taking care of you..." Before long, Vic realised that the Chief meant she would be fired from work, not from her own apartment.

 "There's nothing to prove!" Lucas gulped, choking back a cough,"HR will be contacting you soon with your exit clearance and final paycheck…"

 "I--I.... _need_ to be here, with you!" Vic's lips started to quiver.

 "We'll have someone from Station 23 backfill you...this should be the _least_ of your concern, Hughes!"

 "But it won't be the same. I need to have my job, but mostly, I _need_ to be by your side taking care of you, not some….some…self-centred, competitive tramp from Station 23 who goes by the name of...of….Charlotte!" Something wasn't quiet right. Vic wondered why she was responding in this stupidly submissive way. Here the Chief was lying on _her_ bed and in _her_ house and threatening to fire her, yet she was pleading like a slave to him. She wasn't her usual self. Neither was Lucas.  

Lucas suddenly sat up and leaned against the bedhead, looking well and ...smirking. "I see. I guess...someone's jealous," he snorted,"right?" pulling out a tissue from the box and blew his nose, coughing a few times into it.

 Vic pulled back and winced at his pain. "No, I'm not!" She denied.

 "I didn't say it was _Charlotte._..and how is it that you suddenly came up with _that_ name?" a smug smile wiped across Lucas' face. Once again, he cornered Vic. Knowing how much she was into him, he continued to fan her jealousy to see how much he could get away with.

"You! Please.....Luke, you're sick, not now....," Vic seemed to plead,"you shouldn't work yourself up at a time like this and I don't want to argue with yo--." As if proving her words true, Ripley suddenly pulled back and sneezed again. He blew his nose into Vic's face.

Vic waited patiently for Lucas to finish.

"Jealous or not, you're out of here. For tardy and shoddy EMR response time!" Ripley yelled callously.

 "W-wait a minute! This is my house and you're on my bed...if you want to fire me, fine! But take your stupid shirt with you when you leave!" Vic finally made sense of what was going on. He wants her out of the _station_ and probably out of his life. 

But...he was having a high fever. Vic was dying to find out if the fever broke; it may well be the fever delirium talking instead of Lucas Ripley. Vic swept her hair away from her face and caught a clump of it between her fingers, gritting her teeth and biting her lips to suppress a cry.

 _"I just wanted to be close to you_ … _you have no idea how much I care for you_!" Holding back tears, she rolled her eyes up into her head and squeezed it shut. Tears of indignation brimming at her flood gates. She felt the warm salt water roll down her cheeks.

"Yeah, you just yelled at me. So much for insubordination, that says a lot about Herrera and Gibson's captaining you. I give you one last chance  -- go make me some chicken soup...with the best of your abilities!"

"Chicken soup?" Vic repeated angrily, squaring her shoulders and staring down at Ripley. This was the limit for Vic and there's only this much a person can take. "I thin--"

"What are you waiting for? Go! " Ripley said but a crinkle at the corner of his eyes interrupted. Knowing what was about to happen, Vic pulled back and took cover,"Hatchh--choo!!!" he splashed saliva all over her, making Niagara Falls dry up in shame.

 

**III. HOMEGROUND ADVANTAGE**

 

Vic _woke up_ with a start and realised that she had fallen asleep on a chair with her head nestled within the crook of Ripley's neck.

So it was all a dream -- a nasty nightmare -- all that " _next time you come at me, you're fired"_ bullshit with Ripley pulling rank and abusing his power to make fun of her and then smirking to himself when his back is turned. Phew! Just a dream.

She trailed her gaze over to Ripley's chiseled face. He was sound asleep, looking serene and comfortable in _her_ bed. She pulled the comforter up to cover his bare chest and palmed his forehead. She shook her head and sighed.

The last she remembered was shoving tissue papers into Lucas' hand when she saw him feeling his way with his hands for tissue after a huge sneeze; her telling him that he was _hot_ but he took it to mean that he was _God's Gift to Women_ and he replied that it was because he was " _Chief of the Seattle Fire Department_ " and he'd asked her to spare him the _flattery._ And the number _38_ staring into her face. Lucas had a fever of 38 degrees. Then, she panicked not knowing what to do with him and got scolded by Ripley, who criticised her EMR time....and he wanted her out, _not_ just out of her life. He wanted to _fire_ her....again! Second time in a row, the first was during the skyscraper fire after she yelled at him. 

She reached for the thermometer and confirmed that the last recorded temperature of the Chief was really 38 degrees. She also remembered that she had texted Sullivan and called in sick on the Chief's behalf. Vic scrambled for her phone and checked her text to establish which was real, which were part of a dream. Sullivan's replies to her text messages came in seconds after the other:

_"In all my fifteen years with him, he'd never been this sick..!"_

_"First you're sick, now him...don't tell me what you guys have been doing to each other!"_

_"I never knew Luke to be this frail! What'd you do to him Hughes?"_

_"Luke and I went through hell and high fires. He'd fought fires a hundred times larger than this and he didn't get a fever after that!  Ever since he'd gotten to know you, you've turned him into a cottonwoolly type of guy. What gives, Hughes?"_

Vic shuddered.

So it was _all_ just a dream.

The time on the clock said _twelve_ and the smell of rice porridge from the kitchen reminded her to turn off the stove. She took the damp cloth from Ripley's forehead and rinsed it with the cold water in the basin. Before laying it on his forehead again, she wiped the sweat off the side of his face. Lucas pulled back and squirmed upon contact with the cold towel and let out a soft groan.

"Oh," he said, blinking against the fuzzy image ahead of him and rolled his eyes shut again.

"Rest easy, Darlin'," Vic gave an assurance which she wasn't even sure of herself. Lucas seemed to be so much sicker than she _was._

He hurt _everywhere,_ not just because of flu but because of the muscle twitch in his thighs when he took over the hose and extinguished the fires earlier to save Vic when the vehicle exploded into flames. Has he become unfit after years of _Chief-_ hood where he hasn't been directly involved at the front-line of firefighting? 

But with a girlfriend this gorgeous, wearing only a loose fitting sand T-shirt with frayed edges, tits penetrating from under the sheer material and fuchscia floral panty from _**Vic** -toria's Secret_ (pun not intended) staring _seductively_ at him like that, it wasn't easy to restrain himself, in spite of his condition. 

"Luke," Vic smiled at him but he couldn't even stretch his face muscles to smile back."How are you feeling?"

"My t-throat.....h-hurts," he groaned and fell silent again, rubbing his neck where his throat is. His eyes slowly rolled shut but, a while later he struggled to open them again,"I feel--like crap," he rasped and found himself staring straight at Hughes.

He wasn't able to process her image properly. There seemed to be a halo over this semi-naked Angel with a pair of wings _(or is it the fever?)_. "Mmm...I s-should go.....," he glanced at the time on the clock and realised he was late for work and had a beeline of "Chief commitments" to fulfil. He rolled over and tried to get out of bed from the edge only to find himself being pushed roughly back into bed again.

"Where da hell do you think you're going, _Chief_?" Hughes pressed him by his shoulder with one hand and the other on his forehead against the soft pillow.

"Work," he blinked dumbly at his fire-fighter girlfriend. 

Ignoring him, she reached for something and stuck it into his mouth before he could say anything. "Say Aaaa!" Vic demanded. He relented, from lack of choice. Seconds later, at the beep, she removed it and stared at the display, but the look on her face alone made Ripley worry. "You're still running a temperature, you're staying put!"

"I f-feel….fine," the Chief stubbornly insisted, rolling up again but Vic pushed him down.

"No, no, no….you're not going anywhere," she smirked, recalling how he usually handled her at work, determined to take revenge on him now that he's sick."I knew this was gonna happen -- told you I was contagious and you refused to pay heed. Now you're sick!"

"I guess my guards are down when it comes to _any-thing Vic,_ " Lucas let our a few hacking coughed trailing off with noisy clearing of throat. He groaned, holding his head which felt like someone's driving a skewer through the cross section, and his throat felt like sandpaper has been shoved down it. He slumped back against the headrest and he starting to rub his temples, closing his moistened eyes. Lucas Ripley, for once, looked like the _most_ miserable, most pitiful person on Earth.

 "Sorry to have passed this to you. I should never have let you sleep over to take care of me, Baby," Vic whispered,"the fire department can't do without their Chief,"  rubbing the sick man's chest as he coughed into his hand.

"Not...your fault Hun. I w-was already sneezing a bit and wasn't feeling a hundred percent yesterday," Lucas sniffled as he recalled that when he confessed to Sully about his hush-hush relationship he was having with a _co-worker,_  he sneezed into his face. Sully put two and two together and concluded that it was Vic.

Although Vic really wanted to relent a little, by being a little more tender, she resolved not to budge, no matter what Lucas is going to say to her. And she tried to hide how his words warmed her heart.

"Still, I'm partly responsible, Baby. Now that you're sick, our schedules are going to be disrupted. I'm supposed to co-facilitate the on-boarding of the new EMR recruits with Andy and partner with Travis for the CPR demo chaired by you. And you have your Interstate Collaboration at the Fire Safety Campaign Awareness 2019….and…I'm part of it the volunteer crew….and…," much as she tried to compose herself, harden her heart when dealing with this stubborn patient, she found the words stuck in her throat with his _puppy eyes_ staring up at her,"You...you should just do nothing today but  _rest,_ you hear!" She emphasised her resolve.  She reached for his hand again and pressed her index and middle fingers against his wrist and glanced intermittently at the table clock, taking his pulse.

Ripley pushed himself up, surprise laced his face, "You're giving me orders?" Sensing her crumbling resolve, he meant to scowl at her feeble attempt to be his " _boss_ " but this had to happen,"You know, I'm your bos---aaaaat--choo!" Seeing the crinkle at the corner of his eyes, Hughes already had tissue on standby, which she shoved into his hands. He blew his nose noisily and she recoiled in disgust."Ugggh!" He exclaimed, scrunching his nose.

He was after all, the Chief of Seattle Fire Department, Hughes boss' boss' boss, everyone's leader, boss and a hero. He was supposed to take care of Vic, not the other way round. Ripley is the kind of guy who'd rather die a hero's death than to live in cowardice or weakness. He can't show his weak side. He's never shown his weak side, or sick side in the six months they've been together. Even when he was sick, he would give excuses that he was busy or had back-to-back meetings and was unable to see Vic when in _actual fact,_ he was hiding in his cave licking his wounds, ill.  And he didn't intend to make _this time_ an exception but _alas_ ….

Vic waited for his McCoughy and McSneezy to settle. He coughed so much his back was jerking. When he turned away from coughing into her face, she rubbed her sickly lover's back with her comforting hand. "You look and _sound_ awful!"  She murmured, more to herself than for him to hear.

"I'm--- fin…..aaaat choo," he sneezed again and blew his nose noisily, "I'm fine for now. I promise you I'll rest but later….for now,  I really need to go. I have a meeting with the MPD at 2pm, then there's a HR meeting I'm attending with Frankel at 4pm and then I have a business dinner with the Chairman of the Civil Defence Department of Seattle." Everything came out in one breath and it proved a strain to his ailing flu lungs. He tried to suppress another rising cough in his chest but it came out as a scary wheeze.

Vic shook her head desperately as she watched him suffer.

He slumped the back of his head back onto the bed head once the cough settled and stared at Vic, too weak to move. He could only roll his eyes watching her dart around the room _nursing_ him. He expected her to say something as he prepared his ammunition for retaliation but it proved unnecessary. Vic did nothing like he expected. Instead, she only gave him an admonishing stare. Unable to tolerate the silence, he spoke. "You know I'm your bo---," he never got to finish his sentence as Vic cut him off.

"I know that you're my boss' boss' boss. But in here, Chief, at _our home_ , you take orders from only one person -- me!" Vic responded authoritatively and even Ripley was disarmed. 

Nevertheless the Chief seemed pleased at Vic's reference to _our home,_ instead of _my home_  . However, he cannot afford to unmask himself. He was, afterall, a figure of authority. Everyone's boss."You've g-got to....at least let me inform the rest, delegate and hand over to whoever is covering me today!"

" _I_ will take care of _that_ ," Vic set about checking his BP this time, sliding his arm into the pressure cuff, too busy to establish eye contact with him.

 "Told you I'm fine. You're just being a mother hen!" Ripley sulked but his voice came out as a drawl.

"Your opinion is _not_ valid -- you have a fever," Vic responded coldly, still not looking at Ripley. Pulling his pajama neatly in place, she ordered him to lie down horizontally.

 "You!" That was enough to work Lucas up. He opened his mouth to retaliate and tried to push himself up to fight but everything seemed to fail him on that day. 

 " _Stay_ here while I fix something for you to eat. It's almost midday, you need to eat something before I administer your antibiotics. And you're lucky your _wif_ \--," Hughes realised that she nearly said _wife_ but she corrected herself in time, turning away to hide a blush, but she still maintained a strict and authoritative tone, "…uhm… _girlfriend_ has EMR training so you're in the best of hands!"

 _Damn, here I go again!_ Vic cussed at her carelessness and machine-gun mouth. It must be her own bout of fever last night which she suspected had affected her reflexes. Much as she wanted to be tender to her pathetic, weak boyfriend (who imagined that he still had Herculean strength to overthrow the entire Asgardian army), she knew that _to_ deal with a man with _ego_ the size of an entire Universe, she had to pit it with _ego_ of the _same_ size. 

Lucas merely stared at her with a slight cock of one side of his eyebrows. _That condescending look again!_ That was all the reaction she earned from talking so much. If only she had learnt the skill of thinking before she speaks.  

"My boss' boss' boss indeed!" Hughes scoffed to herself as she walked out of the room, slightly desperate now as to how to care for her proud boyfriend. "Vain, proud, self-absorbed, narcissistic, ego-maniac…hummph!"  She scrunched her face in disgust but she has her ways around that -- she had homeground advantage this time. She smirked at that upper hand. 

Lucas had enough strength _only_ to watch his feisty _lover…wife….girlfriend_ , whatever, stalk out of the room with irreverent strides even though he would really like to get _into_ her. But he decided to surrender for the moment and closed his eyes again, feeling relaxed in the warm circle of her love.

 

**IV. VENGEANCE BACKFIRED!**

 

Minutes have passed since Vic left her _sicky_ lover to rest some more after planting a kiss on his forehead. She had set out to cook something for him to eat while he slept. It was noon anyway and they _both_ needed to eat, especially since he was _this_ sick.

Ripley was awake and he peered into what was under the blanket discovering that he was almost naked, with only his boxers on. Vic must have removed his clothes to wipe him. He blushed in embarrassment -- getting naked to _fuck_  was sexy, but being stripped naked for reasons _other than_ fucking wasn't cool at all. There was the muted clattering of pots and pans which Chief Ripley found so comforting to hear. And the occasional sound of footsteps outside his bedroom door as the home owner busied herself with housework too - a sign that there was _life._

He noticed that the bedroom door was open. _Eggy must have left it open so that if he called for help, she would've heard me._ That thought warmed his heart.

He turned to the side of bed where Vic sat doing her work earlier and noticed it was empty. The depression on the bed was evidence that it wasn't a dream. He stopped coughing while he was asleep but he still felt weak. Incredibly weak, for some reasons. He couldn't get out of bed as much as he wanted but overheard someone talking outside.

 _"Yes, Captain Sully, cancel all his meetings. Even the dinner. Nope, I don't think he's going to recover in time for that._ "

 _Wow! Caring wife-to-be!_ He thought to himself in appreciation.

Vic entered the room again and he _pretended_ to be asleep. He felt someone pull up the blanket and spreading it over his chest, tucking it neatly under his shoulders. A soft velvety pair of lips pressed against his forehead in a chaste kiss.

 He sniffled as he pushed himself up but sank back again hopelessly. He grinned at how Vic takes charge of things, pushing up against rank and file to get him to _obey_ her. Inevitably, his mind wandered to the time when she yelled at him at the peer review, criticising his personnel decision and how she came at him accusing him of not caring enough for his people's welfare at the skyscrapers' incident.

 Absolutely _no one_ who was rational enough to want to keep their career would do talk to him _like that_ , but Victoria Hughes. 

 It was she who came on to him _upon his cue_. No one would dare take on a boss' boss' boss figure. Victoria Hughes was the only one who had the guts and confidence, not that he's complaining. She was like a breath of fresh air which made him alive again at first whiff, resurrected from the dead ever since his second divorce when he thought he was done with love or marriage.

A sniffle from behind the door and small, light footsteps brought him back from his reverie. He watched as Vic walked in, with a tray. She didn't say a word even though she'd noticed him watching her from his deep ocean blue orbs.

"You know, I hope you don't regret it," he muttered, and sniffled before he continued,"if you keep me here, I won't be able to leave for a while."

Vic frowned and stared incredulously at him."Why?" Not that she minded this Hottie not being able to _leave for a while._

"Because I never appear in public when I'm sick. I look like crap!"

"Oh-don't be ridiculous! You are still handsome," Vic wanted to laugh but she was too distracted and busy settling the tray onto a collapsible tray.

Staying at Vic's place in the next couple of days wasn't too bad. He wondered what his itinerary would be in Victoria Hughes flu rehab centre. Realising that lunch in bed, _Victoria's_ bed, was _next_ on the agenda and how ungrateful he had been sounding the entire morning complaining away, he corrected his tone,"Actually, I don't regret it. It was definitely worth getting the flu from you."

"Don't be stupid," Vic continued to arrange the food.

"I'm _not_ stupid. I'm serious, " he snorted and glanced down at the tray and  noticed there were two sets of cutlery,"it j-just goes to show how....in synch we are with each other. You sneeze, I get pneumonia; you cough, I get TB right away, isn't it? Victoria Hughes?" He stared at her from his ocean blue doe eyes.

Instead of answering, she grimaced."Ewwww! How cheesy can you get, Lucas!" Turning serious suddenly."It wasn't meant to be like that, by the way. I love you so much I would rather suffer alone than drag you down with me, Luke...." The look on Vic's face was different from two seconds ago and Lucas could tell she meant it with every fiber of her soul.

"I'll get better, I promise," Lucas said quietly, eyes pensive and soft, appreciative of the love. 

Hearing this made Vic feel better. She had been ridden with guilt the whole morning for passing the bug to Ripley, and have been making amends by doing her best to make Ripley feel better. She  sat down and touched his cheek, neck and forehead comparing his temperature with her own. She made no comment but a disconcerting look already gave away the answer. Ripley sighed silently. He wish he felt better.

Caressing his cheek and said in a maternal voice, "Eat your food dear and I'll take you to see the doctor later," and picked up a spoon to scoop the contents from a bowl. That statement confirmed what Ripley suspected.

He glanced down at it and noticed it was plain porridge."Sick man's food?" He complained."I don't want it! I want double cheeseburger with fries!"

"You're sick. Porridge is the best choice," Vic brought the spoon to her beau's mouth,"be good now. Say aah"

"How come porridge is best choice for me but not for you when you're sic--ugh!" Ripley challenged but midway through coughing interrupted his sentence, trailing it off with noisy throat clearing instead.

"That's because you have a sore throat but I don't!" Vic snapped, in recollection that Ripley cooked her chicken broth the night before.

Lucas opened his mouth anyway and let his mouth fill with warm porridge. It didn't taste so bad, because he couldn't taste anything with the flu taste impairment but he just wanted to assert his influence, give Vic a run for her money -- for fun.

"Vickey, make your boyfriend some chicken soup please? It's good for a sick man too….please, please?" Lucas started making senseless demands and melted down Victoria Hughes' wall.

  _Damn! He'll be the death of me! Why does he have to be so….I can't…._ Vic mused, feeling the heat course through her system and hitting her down there. _So…so handsome, dreamy and cute at the same time, even when he's so ill._ She finally found the words.

 "Come again? Did you just say something?" Luke cocked his brows and asked with a  questioning look.

 " _Gosh, did I actually say it out?_ " Vic touched her face, feeling the warmth coursing up her cheeks. She would like to think not, unless Luke is a mind-reading Jedi.

"Just teasing...I didn't hear anything," Luke confirmed.

After the mindless sulking which was uncalled for, Luke finally finished three quarters of his lunch, during which time, Vic ate with him simultaneously. "I'm done," he finally said and pushed the bowl away sulkily,"thanks…"

"Good boy," she patted his head like he were her pet dog. Vic didn't insist that her patient finished everything since he three quarters done was good enough. When she got up to clear the bowls and utensils away, she noticed him trailing his gaze to her ass cheeks and wondered if he was really _that_ sick. 

 

**V. THE SPIRIT IS STRONG BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK**

 

When she made it back again to his room, she brought medications of different colours and shapes, with a tall glass of water on a tray. She sat at the edge of the bed with one leg tucked under the other, forming a triangle -shape revealing her sexy tanned thighs. While dispensing the right dosage for him, which he drank down gratefully, she noticed him resting his gaze _in-between_   her inner thighs down _there_. She blushed a little and turned away, pretending to clear the glasses but as she rose to put them away, she felt someone tugging at her wrist.

"Don't go, Vic. I'm going to miss yo--," Lucas said through half-lidded eyes, trying to _sound_ sexy but he never got to the end of his sentence when another bout of coughs racked him. Vic waited patiently for him to settle. He sniffled,"aaaat---choo!.... you!"

As he wiped his nose with his hand, she pulled a couple of tissues and shoved it to him.  She watched him blow his nose and pitied him immediately. It was unusual to see this frail and needy side of the usually indomitably, invincible and manly fire-fighting Chief Ripley. This was the first time she was exposed to _this_ side of him -- it was refreshing and adorable. And she realised how much she wanted to hold and kiss him to make him feel better.

 "Bloody nose! I can't breathe...hate my nose," Ripley choked,"I swear to God if _they_ were functioning any better than this and _he_ were more cooperative," he lifted his blanket up slightly and peeked conspicuously (and Vic saw _that_!) down _there_ in between his legs," I would've _taken you on_ right now!" He said in an incredibly nasal voice and sniffled again. 

" _Take me on_? What d'ya mean?" Vic pretended not to understand. 

 "W-want me to show you?" Lucas smirked, in spite of himself,"I--I....," he breathed, finishing his sentence with a couple of snorts, no thanks to the blocked nose,"can still get _him_ up you know, and impreg-nate you with twins right here and then!" He struggled for breath, turning blue in his face. and he groaned, holding his aching head.

It was clear to Vic how ill he was, too weak to move, racked with fever aches. She was _that way_ the past couple of days and she empathized."My poor sickling boyfriend, no need to _show me_. I know you're strong (Vic meant it in the _sexual_ way) but it's okay to be sick, it'd be unrealistic never to be," she chuckled.

He grinned silly at her, and she pushed herself up, pressing her plush lips onto his forehead. "I'll be back, give me a shout if you need anything."

Unable to move, Lucas let his eyes trail idly to Vic's sexy and pert ass cheeks until they left his sight out of the bedroom. He conceded defeat. Everyone has their Archilles Heels. For Ripley, it's either _no_ flu at all for a hundred years or a _full blown_  one with the _worst_ of  _all_ the symptoms, which he attributed to the large nerve endings in his nostrils. As if to prove his point, he sneezed the world away again and had to breath through his mouth. He could at best only _dream_ of showing off his _virility_ to Vic, too weak to do it _in reality._

 

 **VI. BIG BOSS THEORY**   **[M]**

 

When Ripley awoke from his sleep, Vic was sitting cross legged at the other end of the bed, tapping softly on the keyboard of her laptop and resting her chin on her elbow. So therapeutic. She appeared engrossed. Ripley guessed that he must have drifted into sleep when Vic left the room to clear the utensils and got back to his side again while he was asleep.  

"How are you feeling?" Vic looked up from her notebook.

"Like I said, I believe I'm dying, " Lucas confessed. He wasn't lying to Vic. He wished he had better news but sadly, the more he slept the worse he felt.

Vic crawled up to him and palmed his forehead again, looking focused like she was processing something."You're going to be out of action for a while...but you won't die...if you take instructions from me. I'll take you to the doctor first thing in the morning tomorrow to get you medically covered for at least a couple more days, try to get some more sleep," she sighed and pulled the blanket neatly in place, and adjusting a few pillows, settling him into bed as comfortably. He didn't protest, too weak to move.

And Vic continued surfing the net and researching notes on firefighting from eminent predecessors and various self-improvement materials, standing by in case Ripley needed anything.

But poor Ripley. His head felt like someone skewered into it and he groaned,more from boredom than from sickness or pain. "Looks like this is going to be my _world_ for the next couple of days, confined within these four walls because my wicked girlfriend won't let me go anywhere!" He pounded his fist on the side of the bed and complained repeatedly in between sniffles."What am I gonna do?" 

 "So what _exactly_ can I do to make you feel better?" Vic  genuinely pitied him by now, finally stopping what she had been doing on her computer and turning to face him.

 "I _want_ to make love to you," said Ripley, through half-lidded eyes, too exhausted to move, not that Vic minded. It was nice to have him totally under her control for once. She ignored his mindless comment and got up to draw the blinds down so that the sun wouldn't be too glaring for him.

 "Well, then rest up and get yourself better first," Vic said, walking towards the bed and sat on the bed, reaching for his hand.

 "I get it. So I'll be bedridden....," he thought for a while, carefully arranging his words, asking the obvious, "will I _ever_ get better?" Lucas asked, half-whining like a spoilt brat.

"Of course, silly," she smiled broadly, leaning in caressing his face and pressing another chest kiss, this time on his lips before she continued to do her work on her notebook at the foot of the bed.

"Really, Eggy....I mean....," Lucas suddenly sounded and looked vulnerable.

"I promise," she countered,  weaving her fingers into his hair before planting a chaste kiss on his lips. 

She resumed her work, at the foot of the bed so that she wouldn't distract Lucas' rest.  From where she sat, cross legged, her oversized sand-shirt slid down her shoulder revealing smooth, velvety olive skin.  Ripley couldn't keep his eyes off her smooth hairless inner thighs and could only imagine in his mind whether _what's_  in-between it was _wet_. And _how_ wet? He groaned again, more from frustration about not being able to do anything to satisfy his mental arousal erupting within him.

Frustrated that he wasn't getting any response from Vic, he finally said. "Come lie down _next_ to me," he rolled his eyes at it towards the empty spot beside him.

"I wouldn't say _no_ when a man invites me to get _lai_ \--I mean _lay down_ next to him," Vic moved next to him sitting up against the bedhead to surf the net. She fought to  control herself from responding physically to what her carnal desires screamed for. 

"You meant you want to  _get laid_ , right?" He grinned mischievously, leaning against the side of her body. The twinkle in his eyes returned briefly."And -- _no_ thanks for stripping me while I was unconscious and not doing anything to me. Not cool at all," he whined.

"What else _did_ you expect me to do when you threw up all over your shirt and soiling it?" Vic raised her brows, amused. Lucas grimaced in mortification. _Did he or didn't he vomit like an infant suffering from indigestion?_

 _"_ And yes you did!" Vic answered, to Ripley's horror. He wasn't sure if he imagined it. How could she have read his mind?

Much as she itched for _it_ , to _fuck_ him, she wanted nothing more than for the ill body next to her to do nothing but to rest, even when doing _that_ would surely make her feel good. She put her hand to his forehead again, feeling his neck and caressing his stubbled cheek while Lucas stared and blinked dumbly at her. "If your temperature doesn't come down by tomorrow, I really have to take you to the doctor's---," she sounded stern but found her sentence interrupted again.

 "I _don't_ want to!" Ripley whined like a petulant child. The air of cockiness returned.

"You _don't_ have a choice! Not negotiable," She faced him, looked over him and adjusted the pillows behind him. He _thought_ she was going to kiss him but instead, she propped him up comfortably so that he wouldn't roll down the bed. She still had to monitor his breathing the whole night and she was prepared for the long haul of a night.  "I may _not_ be your boss' boss' boss but I certainly don't want you dying on _my_ bed... in _my_ home tonight!" She made up a random excuse when she noticed him watching her, as if assessing her.

Heat rose towards his cheek. _How could she say something so callous?_

Still, so far, Vic's efforts at caring for him so far has been commendable, there was no point saying something which made him sound ungrateful. He sank back into his pillow and breathed heavily, "I can....treat myself." Each time he breathed, it felt like his lungs are squeezing itself together and he coughed several rattling wet coughs into Vic's face.

"Are you okay?" She asked rubbing his chest but he splattered coughs all over her instead.  She flinched, frowning, suspecting that was a deliberate stab at getting back at her. Just last night, she said the same thing to him -- _I can treat myself_ \-- after she delivered a baby in the rain.

"I --," he tried to speak.

 "Just shut up and go to sleep if you want to get better," Vic snapped but worry laced her voice when he coughed a few more times. 

 _Boss' boss' boss_ or not, she had to make him _feel_ better. She threw her arms around his chest and slept on his chest, letting the rise and fall of his jagged breathing  lull her to sleep.  

Maybe he was getting old, or maybe it was getting drenched in the rain, which did nothing to help with the seasonal allergies he's been experiencing. No wonder Sullivan kept reminding him that a _leader_ should only fight and manage remotely, not on-site.  Suddenly, his heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to burst out of his rib-cage but Ripley figured that it was the pheromones at play, no thanks to his gorgeous girlfriend drawing circles over his chest, accidentally touching his nipples. It ached, in a nice sort of way.

The soft tapping of keyboard on laptop as she sat next to him surfing the net while waiting for the food to cook earlier this afternoon -- the sound of home -- reminded him that he was still alive, with someone to care for him and not alone. It was something he missed having for a long time, ever since his divorce with Eva. Maybe he wanted all of it, for _real._ No toilet tissues or paper hearts. He wanted marriage…with Victoria Hughes and he wanted her to look after him as his wife, not just as his lover or girlfriend.

"That wasn't too difficult, was it?" Suddenly Hughes spoke. Her eyes closed. She knew from his breathing that Ripley wasn't asleep yet, though nearly.

"Huh?" Ripley's breath hitched, suppressing a cough.

"It isn't so difficult accepting help from others, is it?" Vic chuckled. She felt his chest muscles tensing and adjusted herself so that she didn't constrict his breathing,  stroking the side of his arms comfortingly.

"Mmm…," Ripley tried to speak but his chest jerked and another set of nasty wheezy coughs came from it which Vic figured to mean a _Yes_.

She adjusted herself upright against the bed-head, stretched out her legs and patted on her lap. "Lie down on my lap if that's more comfortable for you." She figured that her weight on his ailing lungs couldn't be good for him. Seeing him struggle a bit, she slid an arm behind his back and lifted his head onto her lap, such that his lanky body spread diagonally across the bed, till his ankles jutted out slightly from the edge. He wriggled to turn his feverish body against her even temperature. Curling into her cool stomach, he teased her by lifting up her T-shirt and  nuzzled against her flat abs. 

She decided to tease him in return by helping him to lift up her shirt more. "I love you so much I can't even tell you how much because it is too deep," she whispered, letting the cool towel which had dropped onto his side wander over his warm face and neck. 

"Yeah? Alright, how about _show_ ing it to me then," he turned away and created space between them.

"Alright," Vic lifted up her shirt and moved Ripley's head under it so that his head was completely inside her shirt, chuckling at him. With his face squashed against her belly, he started licking her navel, leaving saliva trails from the tip of his tongue on her belly.

"Oh Lucas....aaah," Vic moaned, considering how ironical it was that the ill man was now teasing her instead of the other way round.

He moved slightly away and nibbled at the elastic of her panty." i want this off too," he panted breathlessly as he continued to seduce.

"We s-shouldn't," she gasped, turning irrevocably wet at her pussy.

"What are you afraid of...nobody knows I'm here tonight," Ripley whispered, suddenly turning into a masculine beast at an instant. 

"It's not that! You're sick...you should just rest," Vic's mind says something, yet her body is saying another. Vic giggled and moaned at the same time as Ripley planting kisses, biting and licking all over her belly, his hand traveled under her panty and explored the folds of her skin, finding her clit, violating it. 

"Y-you're wet, Eggy....so...so _fucking_ wet," Ripley looked up from under her shirt. 

He curled back into her stomach and continued to lick and nibble at the loose skin. Vic's moan of pleasure encourage the Chief to go further although his muscles felt sore and he was starting to feel dizzy.  Resting on his elbow, he craned his neck in search of her tits, breathless from quickening pulse. Finally, he sat up.

"What are you doing?" Vic asked, half worried that her patient was going _all the way_. 

Ripley looped his arm around one side of her shoulder pulling her closer,, determined to show Vic that he hasn't lost _his manhood._ "Shhh...," he shushed through half-lidded eyes in his attempt to look sexy, ready to go further than his health permitted. 

But his romantic endeavour was ruined by a sudden tightening of his chest and he jerked into a whooping coughing fit, punctuated with wet rattles in his chest. His throat burned and he clutched his chest which felt like it were on fire, leaning against her. His head was about to explode and he slid back on her lip, curling into her belly. It seemed like he was about to pass out while making love. How embarrassing.

Worriedly, Vic quickly lowered her shirt and moved his head back onto her lap, rubbing his jerking back to calm him down, patiently waited for him to settle.

"Baby...relax...and breathe," she comforted him and pulled a tissue to wipe the Chief's mouth and the saliva splattered all over her belly, but the more he panicked, the more he coughed, thinking that he was going to die."....easy...there you go. Breathe...," Vic mimicked heavy breathing.  

Ripley thought how ridiculous it sounded. Vic training him to breathe was like she was delivering a baby, "S-sorry....," he chuckled amidst heaving chest but turned into her stomach jerking into coughs, clearing his throat once he got to the end. He rested his head on her lap, breathing heavily and looking miserably up at her.

"Are you okay, Baby?" Vic asked, very worried.

"I guess it's _hard_ to make love right now...when I c-can't even...breathe...," he panted, breathless and curled into her stomach again, squashing his face against it and curling his hand on her lap.

"It's okay if it isn't _hard_....," Vic tried to reassure although she was more worried about the heat radiating from the Chief's body against her even tempered one,"totally understand,"combing his hair back and bending down to kiss his temple.

"Will you still love me if I can't get _it_  up?" He asked in muffled tones under the folds of her belly.   

 _"Thats a loaded question,"_ Vic thought to herself. She laughed, thinking to herself how silly he is at times."You poor thing!" she said, stroking his hair and pushing it back from his forehead. "Getting _it_ up would be the last thing you should be concerned about at a time like this."

"I don't know why _he_ 's just not cooperative tonight--do you think your giving _him_ a little kiss might do th--," Ripley moved away slightly to make room and glanced down at his flaccid organ. He sighed in frustration. 

She refused to answer that question and shushed him. "Just go to sleep," she moved him away from her lap and adjusted the pillow,"you still have that _fever_ , baby," settling him properly into bed. He cooperated a little by inching his legs back into bed. 

"Blame it on you, you're too hot!" Ripley meant the fever. Heavy eyelids gave way within minutes and darkness took over.

"Yes, _boss_ ," he replied emphasising the _"boss"_ in a nasal voice.

"Unfortunately, I can't give you anything for your cough without knowing your full medical history," said Vic, settling herself down beside him.

Ripley's sleep was anything but restful that night, waking up every now and then, retching and coughing. Anxious, wondering where he was. The fever made everything around him seem oddly surreal, in a nice way when he found himself in Vic's arms each time he awoke. Vic would bend down and kiss his cheek tenderly,  combed his hair with her fingers, bringing his temperature down with damp cloth and lulling him back to sleep. Each time he stirred and sighed, complaining about his discomfort and pain, she would rub his back or pat his chest protectively until he calmed down and quietened. 

Just watching him as he drifted in and out of sleep gave her so much joy, his features soft and relaxed, he appeared to be having a nice dream, moving his lips and mumbling. And after that, he went all quiet. Soft snores filled the room. She imagined that their lives together with each other after they get married to be exactly like that. Fighting and making up again, taking care of each other when one of them was sick.

Once Vic was sure he was asleep, she whispered,"I love you, Lucas," and gently brushed her lips over his temple, planting chaste kisses lightly on it. The rattling in his lungs sounded like some percussion in a romantic melody.

Their balance of power shifted from one to the other as and when the occasion calls for it. He may be her _boss_ at work but sometimes she's the boss and he allows her to _boss_ him.  Perhaps one day, she will _completely_   be his boss. 

 

@},~~

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I came across so many prompts to make Ripley's death a dream in Vic's sleep.Instead of carrying on from the Coffee Plant tragedy of Lucas Ripley, I've decided to write a fluffy and funny one.  
> 2\. If you find that this Ripley is a little OOC, well, this is because I am writing about his goofy, needy and cheesy side portrayed (for the first time) in GA Crossover S15 Ep 23 where he turned into an irrational fool in love which sadly, Vic didn't get to witness.  
> 3\. You might have detected foreshadowing of events leading to Ripley's death. That was deliberate, btw. 
> 
> PS: Like many viewers, I had issues accepting the rushed and disjointed storyline leading to the demise of the Chief. I tried to convince myself that such sudden deaths are possible. First off, it was never mentioned whether Ripley's heart condition was congenital and he's been having it, undiagnosed. It happens and I accept that the very proud and stoical Ripley didn't know how sick he was and neglected to get himself checked out after his exposure to smoke and fire at the coffee plant.  
> However, I'm still perplexed why his girlfriend would not insist that he got checked by a doctor esp. when he was smoke inhalation symptomatic (coughing, etc)  
> Finally, they have taken way too long to locate Vic and I don't even buy the Gwen sub-plot, which seemed to me to have been thrown in just to kill Ripley off. First responders are supposed to respond in seconds, like Vic said to Ripley, Station 19 are known to have super short response time, ie, 3 minutes, or something like that. I mean, like, we're not idiots!  
> There were just too many loopholes and plot weaknesses in those two episodes leading to killing off Ripley. I'm fine with characters dying, sometimes it can be romantic but more effort should have been put into the plot development leading to the demise of the character.He technically was seen only driving around after escaping from hospital and admitting himself to another hospital and after that he disappeared until finally he was shown on his deathbed for about three minutes (or less?). It's just too abrupt. We don't even get any scene of Lucas and Vic together save for the flashbacks. I am disappointed, just as many of you are and I hope this little fic was a bit of an emotional fix for you. Hope you liked it!


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